3 day migraine and no sign of buggering off.

[Adeleex]

Hey.
Chronic migraine sufferer here.
Usually they don't last this long as I can find ways to deal with it and help myself.
I've tried everything I normally do, it felt like it went for about an hour but it returned sharpish. Usually once it goes from one side of my head it'll go the opposite side. But this has stayed the same side and we're now on day 3. I was sick the first day and nausea is still going strong.
It's all behind one eye, the eyebrow and all the way back over one half of my head to the neck. Prior to this I had visual auras which is normal for me anyway.
I'm just wondering how long do you or would you leave a migraine when you're a regular migraine sufferer without contacting the GP?

I'm so sorry this one seems to be so horrid. I believe the normal advice even for chronic migraine sufferers is to contact GP if it is different than usual and if your normal remedies/painkillers don't work. My longest migraine was 12 days start to finish with little let up in-between and that was with medical management. If in doubt contact your doctor, just because you are a chronic sufferer doesn't mean you should be allowed to remain in pain.

@Offthefunkingchain the doctors open again at 2pm now. So I'll ring then but high probability I won't be able to speak to or see anyone today and I'll have to try again at 8am tomorrow.
It's one of the worst I've had since before my youngest. So a good 2.5 years since I've had one this long. I don't miss this at all!
12 days?!? Wow. And here's me wanting to cry at a 3 day one! They're horrible aren't they.
I'm hoping it doesn't make day 4 but the way I'm feeling currently, it don't feel as though it's going to shift. We shall see 🤢 thank you for replying xx

Do you take meds? Chronic migraine sufferer and sumatriptan on the onset of a migraine has been a game changer for me.

Sumatriptan is probably the ONLY medication that has ever worked but they refused to keep prescribing it because I was taking it more often than they'd like because of how frequent my migraines were/are. So I gave up, and got fed up with trying all different medicines tbf, it's not doing my body any good. So now I just lump it and deal with it. I was taking sumatriptan alongside amitryptline but I've got 3 young children and couldn't wake up to them in the night.m so 🤷‍♀️ We are now on day 4. 🙃 thank you for your reply x

Sympathies I can feel one starting now 😢 mine usually last three days too but start to subside at the latter part of day 3. Hope you feel better soon.

Can anyone give you a massage to ease the tension? I find that helps for me.

Sympathies. Mine can last up to 5 days, exactly as you describe. I've tried so many medications over the last few years. The only thing that works for me is triptans but even then it usually comes back after about 10 hours.
Hope yours disappears today.

You can buy sumatriptan over the counter for a one off. If it's not shifting and you're on day 4 I would go to A & E you might have a long wait but they can give you a prescription for a 'migraine cocktail'

Have you tried aspirin?

I would want to be seen by a GP or at A & E because they can rule out anything more sinister, and also get referred on to your nearest migraine clinic. Sometimes they will do an MRI scan of your brain as well.

Have you tried using topical menthol or cold packs?

I find a full sugar red bull or Coca Cola sometimes helps shift it, and sometimes prochlorperazine helps (brand name is buccastem otc it's for travel sickness but it can also help shift migraines)

Massive sympathies, and for you as well, I hope you get some relief soon

Thank you for all your messages.

@lollipoprainbow I hope yours doesn't drag on for too long and you start to feel better soon x

@Crimsonripple My DH gave me a head massage last night, which was lovely. But unfortunately no luck in easing!

@JE17 It's awful isn't it. I was willing to try it all but we also definitely struggled at preventing them more than anything, I wouldn't mind if I experienced a few less than I do now with a preventative but it wasn't happening! Thank you x

@Runestone That's interesting in regards to being able to buy it over the counter as a once off. I may have to do this if ever I get another extreme attack.
I have a phone call appt with a GP for some point today, they couldn't give me a time. I've only ever had 1 MRI which is around when they first started 15 years ago.. I will look into this and a migraine clinic though! I'm also going to grab some buccastem (easier to type than the first name you mentioned haha) and give it a try. Because anythings worth a shot at this point. Thank you for your reply, very helpful x

I did try the pharmacy this morning to see if there was anything I haven't tried as a last straw. Pain relief on their own such as paracetamol, ibuprofen has never worked. Doesn't even touch the sides. The pharmacist mentioned trying Nuromol. Which is a dual action 200mg/500mg of ibuprofen and paracetamol. Anyone had any luck with this? I'm not holding out any hope but I'll give it a bash, nothing to lose!

Sorry to hijick your thread and I'm really sorry you're suffering. What you describe is exactly what a suffered yesterday (a lot milder today) and that was the first time I've ever had it. I assumed it was a migraine but it was like nothing I've ever felt before. So thank you for helping me with some real life experience!

I'm sorry I can't offer advice and that it's not easing up for you, but you have my biggest sympathies and I hope you get better soon!

@teaandshorties Hey. Please don't apologise.. you're more than welcome to pop on the thread.
Oh bless you, do you suffer with migraines usually or is this just the first time you've experienced one this bad? I hope you're feeling better today, if not a little better.
Aren't they a whole heap of fun, migraines 🥴 I'm hoping to get some form of hold on them as I'm wanting to start getting back in to work - been a SAHM for several years.. I know before kids they kind of disrupted my work a little and I had a very unsupportive boss back then - hopefully between myself and the GP we can sort something!
Thank you for commenting x

No luck with any kind of ibuprofen/ paracetamol combination, aspirin with caffeine and paracetamol has helped me many times though. Nurofen in combination with codeine has helped me in the past, but I imagine that's the codeine not the ibuprofen (well might be that combination).

Migraleve the pink ones are decent if you don't mind taking codeine.

I'm allergic to codeine 🤣😂 it's a mare!!!! X

Oh no, sorry. That is annoying seems to be in most migraine meds from the pharmacy. Do you have the same problem with dihydracodeine?

Update.
We're now on 8 I think, been so poorly. Waiting on a call back from the gp as we speak. Progressively getting worse. Unable to keep any amount of fluids down. TMI - bringing up thick white phlegm Haven't been able to eat in 2 days.
I'm exhausted. Feel and look like absolute shit.

A friend of mine was given Diclofenac to take and told to only take Sumatriptan if that didn't work after 20 minutes. Maybe that's something you could discuss with the doctor?

You can buy 24 tablets at a time from (legitimate) online pharmacies. I had the same issue with my GP rationing them. I was sick with anxiety over when the next attack would come and how I'd cope without enough tablets. I buy them myself now and have far fewer full blown attacks as I can pop half a tablet as and when I need.

e-surgery.com/product/sumatriptan/

Hi OP,
I feel for you I used to suffer with premenstrual migraines over about 2 decades and my longest was 3 days :(

I also took sumatriptan which really helped.

The other thing that helped was taking milk thistle as a preventative. I'd take 1 capsule each day and after taking it for about 3 weeks it definitely reduced the amount of migraines and severity. Milk thistle is supposed to help regulate hormones and as migraines are commonly hormonal I thought it was worth a go. Obviously it could have been placebo or a co-incidence but it worked for me.

I'd take 1 capsule of milk thistle each day for a few months and the migraines would go, then I'd stop taking it and the effect would last for a month of two then the migraines would start up again. I pretty much followed this pattern for about 8 years until the migraines stopped after menopause.

The only brand I used was Solgar.

Hope it goes soon, it's a miserable feeling and such a waste of time x

@ItsRainingPens thank you. Never tried diclofenac so I guess that's worth a mention next time I speak to GP.

@MattDamon ah thank you!!! This is definitely worth knowing, and definitely something I'll look in to - them tablets are a god send but just annoying with the GO rationing them. Also good to know you were in the same boat with that!

@BloodyHellKen thank you lovely. Milk thistle is something I'll look in to, I wasn't even aware of it if I'm being honest. And at this point I feel anything is worth a try.

Another update.
Seen by a gp this morning again.. she's now querying that I have an infection somewhere as I'm spiking a little bit of a temperature, so she thinks this is now no ordinary migraine.
I've been given tramadol and amoxicillin to take and fingers cross this nips it all in the bud! 🥴

Chronic migraine sufferer here. I had a 6 week long episode last year where I had a migraine which would go into a 'normal' bad headache, then back into a migraine again. As I vomited with this I went to the doctor, she wasn't overly concerned though she did send me for an MRI just to make sure there wasn't anything wrong anywhere. The migraine did go eventually... thankfully. It was horrendous!

I hate being one of the " have you tried" brigade and this stuff is pretty basic I admit but I bought a weighted eye mask which helps a little, also blue light glasses, frozen peas on the back of the neck etc. Fresh air also helps. Also, sugar. When I feel one coming on I take 3 paracetamol / a naproxen, eat some sugar and / have a coffee. 3/4 of the time it works and staves it off.

I'm also not sure if it'll help anyone at all but since I had my Mirena removed my migraines are down tons.

@Tdcp very similiar to me in regards to all the things you try to help ease one off, and something more often than not, helps!

Interesting in regards to the Mirena. I had mine fitted a year and a half ago. I have had my fair share since having it fitted, though not sure whether they've been worse than prior to the Mirena. Then saying that I've never experienced this 8 day malarkey where nothing has even helped remotely in easing it just a tad.

Thank you for replying x

Best of luck. I feel your pain.
I am in the process of stopping breastfeeding and my migraines are coming back along with my periods...

Is sumatriptan bad for you if you take too much of it?

@Mamoun taking too many over a period of 30 days/1 month can make migraines more severe and/or more frequent. So I used to be prescribed 6 each time to last 1 month +. But none of my preventative meds ever worked so my migraines were quite frequent and bad and I could end up using them all over the course of a month. So they stopped prescribing them to me. Which is annoying when it's the only thing that ever stopped an attack, even the worst of the worst, in it's tracks.
Would 100% recommend if you're able to somehow get your migraines down to a reasonable amount per month meaning you're able to use sumatriptan sensibly and within reason x